What’s The Worst Used Car You Ever Owned?
Maybe I’ve been blessed by the automotive gods, but I’ve never had a used car that I would term the worst. My worst car was actually a 1984 Dodge Omni I bought new but that’s only because of damage I inflicted on it. Mechanically it ran pretty well until the day came that I grew tired of it and sold it to a friend – who kept it running for a few years.
Mark Vaughn in his column this week at AutoWeek.com says his worst used car ever was a red Ford Pinto nicknamed the Pinto Bean that belched blue smoke because of bad valves. I can’t empathize with Vaughn, though, because the first used car I ever bought was a 1974 Ford Pinto. I owned it for four months, but it treated me great.
What’s the worst used car you ever owned and why? Share your comments.
A 1991 Dodge Sprint - a possible worst? Photo © Dodge
Comments
I’ve only owned three cars — my current 1995 Neon; a 1984 Dodge Colt and a 1972 Ford Pinto. The Pinto, as it turned out, was one of the explodable kind, so I had to get that little flimsy plastic shield to guard between the bolt and the gas tank. Somehow I didn’t think that would make a big difference in a crash.
But the truly odd thing about the Pinto was a mystery problem that went on for a long time and could not be solved. I would be driving the car and all the lights, heat, etc. would incrementally fade — unless I beeped my horn and everything came back up to normal power again. I remember living in NJ and having to travel to a trade show in Atlantic City — I drove down the parkway beeping my horn every 5 miles or so, making people around me crazy. Eventually I brought it to the mechanic and told them I didn’t want it back until it was fixed — it turned out to be the alternator.
The other thing about the Pinto was no power steering, so I got quite the workout turning at low speeds. And the heat would take about 20 minutes to warm up — just long enough from my apt. to my family’s home so drives home in the winter were chilly!
However, it was my first car, so despite all the weirdness, I stil have a tender place in my heart for that Pinto.
Worst used car? It’s hard to narrow that down to just one! Once upon a time in a land far far away I used to buy old clunkers just to get me back and forth to the minesite where I worked. I never paid more than $250, and I’d run em till they died permanently - usually 6 months to a year.
Of these I’d have to say that an ugly ‘64 VW microbus was the worst. The brakes were minimal at best, the engine made more noise than power, and the gas heater wouldn’t shut off. Combine this with an electrical system that someone (not me) had started converting from 6 volt to 12 volt but never finished - It should have been in the wreckers before I bought it. On the plus side though: I only paid $100 for it, didn’t do anything to it, and sold it 3 months later for $250!
Lesley & Derrick -
It’s amazing to see how much affection we have for our “worst” used cars, isn’t it? I love the fact that Lesley also was a Pinto owner and Derrick made a profit off his Microbus!
Thanks for commenting,
Keith Griffin
Used Cars Guide
Lesley,
Forgot to mention. I’m also a Neon owner, but a slightly newer 2002 that my wife and I bought new. It’s been a great little car. Hope your ‘95 is treating you well.
Keith
I’ve also had the distinction of having owned Pintos - yes, with an “s!” The first was a ‘71 with the optional 2000cc OHC German engine. This car ran like a scared cat. I put 60 series Goodyears on it and it held the mountain roads of northern Vancouver Island like it was on rails. She was good mor 90mph in 2′nd! Although I know I shouldn’t admit it in our politically correct day, but I never lost a rat-race with it.
I liked it so much that when I finally wore it out I bought a ‘74 Bobcat wagon (same as the Pinto, different grill) with a 2300 OHC and stick. It was nicer to drive, but no where near as quick. All the polution control stuff sucked up the power.
My wife wrapped that around a Douglas fir stump. The stump won!
I enjoyed both Pintos. Neither came anywhere near the “Worst Car” designation.
Cars I’ve “enjoyed” that are there:
1. The aforementioned VW Microbus.
2. Close second - ‘69 Fargo cargo van. It had been rolled - should have kept on rolling. But I sold it for a profit too!
3. ‘69 Pontiac Stratochief - the car of many colors - more shades of primer than I believed existed. Leaked so much water that you could have stocked the floor wells with trout!
3 ‘80 Chev Citation (junk junk junk!)
“Of these I’d have to say that an ugly ‘64 VW microbus was the worst. The brakes were minimal at best, the engine made more noise than power, and the gas heater wouldn’t shut off. Combine this with an electrical system that someone (not me) had started converting from 6 volt to 12 volt but never finished - It should have been in the wreckers before I bought it. On the plus side though: I only paid $100 for it, didn’t do anything to it, and sold it 3 months later for $250!”
This is worst all right. But the up side is you were able to sell it for a higher price. Not all people get that much luck with this “worst used car”
My first car when I was 17 in 1988 was a slightly used 1987 Dodge Omni 4 speed. It was my first so anything was better than walking.
After about a year I drove to visit my Aunt and Uncle in Uniontown PA. Drivng in South Jersey on flat roads all was well. It wasn’t until I got on the western section of the PA turnpike where I cursed the 70hp Omni after getting passed by an 18-wheeler…going uphill!!!!
I worked my butt off (2 jobs and school) and bought a new 1989 Honda CRX Si. To this day that was THE best car. However, after 3 years of it, the insurance in South Jersey was too much and at 21, I had enough tickets to paper a wall.
But I’ll never forget the lack of power that thing has. I now have a Vette, Mustang GT and two motorcycles. However, with gas prices going through the roof I took a Prius for a test drive. It made the Omni seem like a rocket.
Gerard -
Another hybrid to consider is the Nissan Altima Hybrid. Christine and Scott over at http://alternativefuels.about.com/ own one. I reviewed one recently in my role as a new car journalist. Also, I really liked the Honda Civic hybrid, too. If memory serves me correctly, both should still qualify for some kind of tax break, while the Prius doesn’t anymore.
Keith
Well I have owned alot of used cars but the one that sticks out the most in my memory as the worst was a 1985 Ford Escort. Now I had owned a 1981 Escort fresh from the show room floor and aside from some factory recall issues and the Pennsyvania road salt she was a good little car. But not this one. First some history,I was going through a divorce,and the judge wiped her tears with my check book. And of course you know who got all my worldly possessions. Anyhow not to get off track, I needed wheels. so I roll off the lot with this escort. After about 2 days and 35 miles later, smoke rolls out from under the hood. I open the hood, bad idea, now flames are rolling out from under the hood. I put out the flames with my ball cap and discover after removing the burnt plug wires and other engine components that the engne has severe blow by. I mean oil was being pumped through the vacuum lines kinda blow by. This all occurred back in 1988 to give you a time line. I survived the divorce but I have never bought another ford again.
My first car was a used 1964 Renault R-8. Anyone who has ever owned a Renault needs no explanation. I finally brought it to a junkyard to make sure it was crushed.
The worst used car I’ve had, and I’ve owned over 170 cars since my first in 1962, was a 1956 VW Beetle. It had been rolled before I got it, and it didn’t run. I had the engine rebuilt, only to find out it had no reverse! The wiring in those cars runs through the roof. Rolling the car had its effect - I could have my foot on the brake and have the lights on, and I could take the key out of the ignition and it would still run! If I took my foot off the brake or shut off the lights, it would die.
One of the best cars I’ve owned was a 1984 Chevy Citation. I traded it at 192,000 miles and it was still going strong.
Richard,
I think you should have hung around to make sure the crusher was crushed, just to be safe!
Keith
Used Cars Guide
Of all the cars I’ve owned, the worst was a Fiat 128! It’s primary failing, being that the clutch cable would break on a regular basis, causing me to have to start the car in 2nd gear, & pray that I could manage to shift it into 3rd, ( sans clutch ) , without ‘dropping the transmission. ~
Hunt,
Where did you drive the Fiat 128? I hope it was on flat terrain. I can’t imagine living in a hilly area with that kind of problem. Hope you didn’t own the car for too long!
Keith
I have a 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier. The suspension on the vehicle is terriblby noisy and the dealer has been trying to find the problem since it was new and is still working on it.
After owning Jeep Cherokees from 1984 till 2004, i feel like i am riding in a piece of junk.
My Cavalier is going back to the dealer and they can keep it till they have found the problem with this last GM vehicle i will own
My worst was my first (I’m talking about cars, but I think it was a trend!). It was a ‘79 Pontiac Grand Prix. I traded a Honda scooter for it. The driver’s door didn’t open, so I either slid over from the other side, or if the weather was good, I went in through the window Dukes of Hazzard style. It also had a broken motor mount that made the engine really jump around under the hood. Of course, I still loved the car!
The worst used car I ever owned was a 1985 Honda Civic sedan that looked absolutely mint. No rust and lots of nice shiny paint. Apparently the girl who had owned it before me really liked the oil that the car came with because the engine was worn out after just 50,000 miles. It had very low compression and used oil at the rate of a quart every 500 miles or so. I really lost money on that beautiful but dead horse. It was a hard lesson for me because I was nearly broke at the time.
Sorry you had to learn such a difficult lesson, but it helps others because it reinforces the need to have a mechanic inspect any used car before purchase.
Keith
Yup-it’s a word to the wise. A mechanic with any kind of decent inspection would have been able to tell me the problems with the car.